Short BBC video news reports to improve vocabulary, listening skills

Here’s our tip for using news reports to increase your English vocabulary. You’ll improve your listening skills at the same time.

You may have already used news websites to help improve your English. The problem with this is that news stories are mostly NOT designed for non-native speakers. They’re often long and the vocabulary is difficult. The reporter speaks too quickly or has an accent you can’t understand.

The result for you? It’s too hard and you get demotivated.

Short video stories

For learners at pre-intermediate to upper-intermediate level we can recommend BBC short video stories, which are news reports specially modified for English learners. They’re short, and the ‘reporter’ (an English teacher) speaks slowly and repeats words.

You also get practice exercises and a transcript.

Try this one to start with – BBC news report: Kill your phone. It’s about how all smartphones in California will be required to have a ‘kill switch’ to help reduce and prevent theft.

Featured vocabulary includes:easy pickingshigh-endat the touch of a buttondeter
. . . and more.

Let us know in a comment below if you enjoy learning with video news reports.

Stuart is an English teacher and runs the Speakspeak website. He currently lives in Prague and has been teaching for over 20 years.
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